IASCUFO and Primates

The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order (IASCUFO) has welcomed next month’s Primates’ Meeting in Canterbury. In a communiqué from its latest meeting, the commission describes Archbishop Justin Welby’s invitation to his fellow primates as “an opportunity for a new, redeemed conversation within the Communion.”

The commission issued the communiqué after its meeting last week in Elmina, Ghana, in the Province of West Africa’s Diocese of the Cape Coast. Commission members say they are “greatly heartened” by the meeting and are “ready to assist in any way consistent with [IASCUFO’s] remit.”

During their meeting, commission members visited Cape Coast Castle, a major center of the transatlantic slave trade, and spoke of the “terrible incongruity of an Anglican church directly over the dungeons that held those who, through the ‘Door of No Return,’ were to be shipped into chattel slavery.” They described their visit as “deeply moving” in “the context of the contemporary crises of displacement and uprooting of people, of refugees and of human trafficking.”

The commission is working on a paper on theological anthropology that will address issues of slavery and human trafficking.

The Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, presented a “deep and wide-ranging reflection on the present challenges within and future hopes for the Communion” and commission members “welcomed the opportunity to engage with him on ways of strengthening [IASCUFO’s] capacity to fulfill its mandate in the service of the Communion.”

The bulk of the commission’s work focused on its support for next April’s meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-16) in Lusaka and recent significant ecumenical developments and agreed statements.

The full communiqué follows.

The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order met at Elmina, Ghana, from 2 to 9 December 2015.

The Commission was generously hosted by the Church of the Province of West Africa and its Diocese of the Cape Coast. The Primate, the Most Rev. Daniel Sarfo, and the Bishop of the Cape Coast, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Victor Atta-Baffoe, met with the Commission, and the Bishop subsequently welcomed the Members to a special ecumenical Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral, Cape Coast. Commission Members also participated in the Cathedral’s Sunday morning celebration of the Holy Eucharist, at which Bishop Victoria Matthews was invited to preside and Bishop Howard Gregory to preach. The Commission was delighted to spend a morning engaging with students and faculty at the St Nicholas Seminary.

In the context of the contemporary crises of displacement and uprooting of people, of refugees and of human trafficking, the Commission paid a deeply moving visit to the Cape Coast Castle. This was a major centre of the transatlantic slave trade, with the terrible incongruity of an Anglican church directly over the dungeons that held those who, through the “Door of No Return,” were to be shipped into chattel slavery.

For part of the meeting, the Commission was joined by Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, who offered a deep and wide-ranging reflection on the present challenges within and future hopes for the Communion. The Commission warmly welcomed the opportunity to engage with him on ways of strengthening its capacity to fulfill its mandate in the service of the Communion.

The Commission was also greatly heartened by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s timely decision to invite his fellow Primates of the Anglican Communion to meet together in January, and held this gathering in its daily prayers. Recalling that all of the Primates gathered at the Enthronement Eucharist of the Archbishop in March 2013, IASCUFO believes that the forthcoming meeting could be an opportunity for a new, redeemed conversation within the Communion to begin, and stands ready to assist in any way consistent with its remit.

Much of the Commission’s work was devoted to supporting the forthcoming meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, in Lusaka in April 2016.

For this, the Ecumenical Working Group considered recent ecumenical developments, including such significant documents as:

Working papers on local expressions of communion life for the Anglican Communion website.

Work continued on a paper on Theological Anthropology, in which issues of slavery and human trafficking – so much present to those in Elmina – among other subjects, are addressed.

The Commission expressed thanks to all who assisted with the organisation and running of the meeting, and particularly to the Rev. Canon Anthony Eiwuley, Provincial Secretary. Members warmly welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Adviser on Anglican Communion Affairs, the Rev. Canon Precious Omuku to his first IASCUFO meeting, and appreciated the extensive contribution of the Rev. Canon Dr. John Gibaut in his first meeting as Director of Unity, Faith, and Order, rather than as a consultant member.

The Commission’s work was nourished by the daily rhythm of worship. In the spirit of the Advent hope, the Commission celebrated a daily Eucharist, and said Morning and Evening Prayer.

The next meeting will take place from 1 to 8 December 2016, at a venue to be confirmed.

Present at the Elmina meeting:

The Most Rev. Bernard NtahoturiProvince of the Anglican Church of Burundi, and Chair of the Commission

The Rev. Professor Paul AvisChurch of England

The Rev. Sonal ChristianChurch of North India

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Howard GregoryThe Church in the Province of the West Indies

The Rev. Professor Katherine GriebThe Episcopal Church (USA)

The Rt. Rev. Kumara IllangasingheChurch of Ceylon, Sri Lanka

The Rt. Rev. Victoria MatthewsAnglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

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